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PALÁCIO DA PENA - PARQUE DA PENA

Palace
4.2/5
60 review

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Estrada da Pena, Sintra, Portugal Show on map
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2025
Recommended
2025

It is the palace not to be missed in Sintra. Its eccentric and colourful look takes you straight to the land of Cinderella.

Perched atop a hill, this emblematic site was originally home to a 16th-century monastery dedicated to Our Lady of Pena. In the 19th century, King Ferdinand acquired the ruins. Prince of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Ferdinand became King Consort of Portugal when he married Queen Maria II. After the wedding, he decided to transform the monastery into a summer palace for the royal family, inspired by the romantic styles then in vogue in Europe. The palace's extravagant architecture combines Gothic, Manueline, Moorish and Renaissance elements, accentuated by the canary yellow and scarlet colors of the façade. A real fairytale castle! It served as the royal residence until 1910, when the last king of Portugal, Dom Carlos, went into exile. You enter through a long tunnel adorned with pointed arches to an inner courtyard where the famous neo-Gothic Triton Arch stands, marking the entrance to the new palace - probably an allusion to a character in Luís de Camões' epic of the Lusiades discoveries. Inside the palace, you can visit the Manueline cloister decorated with different types of azulejos, the former conventual refectory transformed into a dining room, and King Carlos' apartments. Each king has settled here in his own way, transforming the palace in turn. A visit to the superb gardens is a must. More than 85 hectares of rare plants, winding paths, viewpoints and pavilions invite you to daydream.

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Members' reviews on PALÁCIO DA PENA - PARQUE DA PENA

4.2/5
60 reviews
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The ratings and reviews below reflect the subjective opinions of members and not the opinion of The Little Witty.

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brunpa
Visited in april 2016
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Palais magnifique on se croirait dans Alice au pays des merveilles. On en prend plein les yeux autant à l'extérieur qu'à l'intérieur. A voir absolument si on ne peut pas tout faire le choisir en priorité
Chris Kriss
Visited in april 2016
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Un palais exceptionnel et haut en couleur, le mieux est de déambuler autour du palais, marcher sur les renforts, faire un pause dans la cour qui domine la région.
l'intérieur n'est pas exceptionnel mais la visite reste à faire.
Sintra est accessible en train depuis lisbonne, le mieux est d'acheter un pass permettant d'entrer dans différents palais et de prendre une navette entre chaque lieux.
phbn
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Madness of a king? The old part, converted monastery, are impressively austerity. The " part; moderne" is extraordinary by its originality. It is more than baroque.
Lovely views of the surrounding area and especially on the châteu of Maurres.
fute61168
Visited in march 2016
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Magnifique Palais et Parc ! Accessible facilement par train en partant de la gare de Rossio au centre de Lisbonne. Très belle vue sur la région en haut du palais. A l'intérieur, l'architecture est très original.
A ne pas manquer !
Alizz
Visited in march 2015
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Lieu exceptionnel ! Le palais à une architecture très particulière avec de magnifiques détails sculptés. Les façades sont de toutes les couleurs, superbe !
Le parc est faste est très joli, des petits chemins permettent de se promener aux milieu des arbres et petits bassins. A voir !

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